Latest: Police push protesters from St. Paul freeway

By Associated Press | June 16, 2017 at 11:35 amUPDATED: June 16, 2017 at 10:26 pm

Marchers walk along Interstate 94 on Friday night, June 16, 2017, in St. Paul, Minn., after a vigil at the state Capital. A Minnesota police officer was cleared Friday in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile, a black motorist whose death captured national attention when his girlfriend streamed the grim aftermath on Facebook. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Latest in the manslaughter trial of a Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a black motorist during a traffic stop (all times local):

12:20 a.m.

Police in St. Paul, Minnesota, appear to have largely cleared protesters who shut down a downtown freeway following a suburban officer’s acquittal in the shooting death last year of a black motorist.

A line of police confronted a crowd of scores or hundreds of protesters who initially marched onto Interstate 94 late Friday night. After a peaceful standoff of more than 90 minutes, the crowd dwindled and officers appeared to succeed in forcing the remaining demonstrators off without incident.

The interstate was not immediately reopened, and some protesters remained on the highway’s fringe.

The demonstration followed the acquittal Friday afternoon of Officer Jeronimo Yanez. He was charged with manslaughter in the death last July of Philando Castile.

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11:20 a.m.

Police in St. Paul, Minnesota, are confronting protesters who have blocked a downtown freeway following an officer’s acquittal in the death of a black motorist.

Protesters have been demonstrating for hours with a rally that began Friday evening at the Capitol following the acquittal of Officer Jeronimo Yanez. He was charged with manslaughter in the death last July of Philando Castile.

Hours after the mostly peaceful demonstration began, a splinter group of scores of protesters walked down a ramp onto Interstate 94. A line of police in riot gear eventually met them, and demonstrators were warned they will be arrested if they don’t disperse.

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10:30 a.m.

People protesting the acquittal of a Minnesota police officer in the shooting of a black motorist have shut down a freeway in St. Paul.

Scores of protesters streamed onto Interstate 94, splitting off a group of thousands who had marched several blocks some three hours after a rally at the state Capitol. Their anger followed the acquittal of Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the shooting death of Philando Castile.

Yanez shot Castile during a July 6 traffic stop seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun. The officer testified that Castile was ignoring his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life.

Traffic was backing up on I-94 as a couple of hundred people collected on the highway. Police quickly diverted traffic.

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10:10 p.m.

Thousands of chanting demonstrators are continuing a march toward the St. Paul Cathedral to protest a police officer’s acquittal in the shooting of a black motorist.

The demonstration has been peaceful, but has caused the suspension of light rail service in the city since it began Friday evening.

Officer Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez was cleared Friday in last July’s death of Philando Castile. Yanez shot Castile during a July 6 traffic stop seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun. The officer testified that Castile was ignoring his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life.

The protesters are carrying signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Blue Lies Matter” and chanting such phrases as “Hands up, don’t shoot.”

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8:30 p.m.

Hundreds of demonstrators are beginning a march from Minnesota’s state Capitol to protest a police officer’s acquittal in the fatal shooting last year of a black motorist.

Officer Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez was cleared Friday in last July’s death of Philando Castile. Yanez shot Castile during a July 6 traffic stop seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun. The officer testified that Castile was ignoring his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life.

The crowd Friday evening is mixed and includes many children, including some who are stenciling posters as the event continues.

Some protesters say they plan to begin a march to the nearby St. Paul Cathedral and back.

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7:15 p.m.

A few hundred people have gathered at Minnesota’s state Capitol to protest the acquittal of a police officer in the fatal shooting of a black motorist.

Officer Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez was cleared Friday in last July’s death of Philando Castile. Yanez shot Castile during a July 6 traffic stop seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun. The officer testified that Castile was ignoring his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life.

The crowd in St. Paul is diverse and includes some people with children. Some are carrying signs that read “Unite for Philando” and “Black Lives Matter.”

They’re chanting “No justice, no peace, prosecute the police.”

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5:25 p.m.

The prosecutor who brought charges against a Minnesota police officer over the shooting death of a black motorist is urging acceptance of the officer’s acquittal of manslaughter.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi says he knows Friday’s acquittal of Officer Jeronimo Yanez will be painful for many people. But Choi says the verdict “must be respected” because it’s a product of the rule of law.

A jury deliberated five days before clearing Yanez on Friday in the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile. Castile was shot just a few seconds after he informed Yanez during a traffic stop that he was carrying a handgun.

Choi says Yanez “made a horrible mistake from our perspective.” He says he knows Yanez would take back what happened if he could.

He urged any protests over the verdict to be peaceful.

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5:10 p.m.

The girlfriend of a black man who was shot and killed by a Minnesota police officer last July says she’s disappointed with the jury’s verdict to acquit the officer.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez was found not guilty Friday of three counts stemming from the shooting of Philando Castile. Yanez, who is Latino, shot Castile seconds after Castile said he was armed. The shooting’s aftermath was streamed live on Facebook by Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds.

Reynolds issued a statement Friday saying that Castile was racially profiled and was obeying Yanez’s instructions and was reaching for his wallet when he was shot. She says it’s sad that this type of behavior is condoned because Yanez is a police officer.

She ended her statement by saying: “God help America.”

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5 p.m.

Community activists and supporters of the family of a black man who was killed by a Minnesota police officer last July are planning to hold a rally at the state Capitol.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who is Latino, was aquitted Friday on all counts stemming from the shooting of 32-year-old Philando Castile.

Castile was killed during a traffic stop moments after he told Yanez he was armed. He had a permit to carry.

After the verdict, Mel Reeves, one of the rally organizers, said the event would be peaceful, but people need to start questioning the system and the verdict adds insult to injury. He says: “What kind of system do we live in that we can’t get justice?”

Reeves said Castile is dead because he was racially profiled. He said he believed Yanez lied about seeing Castile’s gun.

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4:10 p.m.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is offering condolences to the family of a black motorist who was killed by a police officer last year after the officer was acquitted of manslaughter.

A jury deliberated five days before acquitting Officer Jeronimo Yanez in the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile. Yanez shot Castile five times seconds after Castile informed him during a traffic stop that he was carrying a handgun.

Dayton called Castile’s death “a terrible tragedy.” His statement made no mention of Yanez, but noted that “thousands” of police officers are “working to correct the injustices in our state.”

Dayton drew criticism last year after suggesting that Castile might not have been shot if he was white.

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4 p.m.

A Minnesota city says it will dismiss a police officer even though he was cleared of all charges in the fatal shooting of a black motorist.

The city of St. Anthony says it concluded the public “will be best served” if Officer Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez no longer works for the city. The statement says the city plans to offer Yanez a “voluntary separation” so he can find another job.

The city says Yanez will not return to active duty.

A jury deliberated five days before clearing Yanez of all charges in the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile. Castile was shot seconds after telling Yanez during a traffic stop that he was carrying a gun.

Yanez testified that Castile ignored his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life.

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3:50 p.m.

A member of the jury that acquitted a Minnesota police officer of manslaughter in the shooting of a black motorist called deliberations “very, very hard” and says he thinks the panel delivered the right verdict.

Dennis Ploussard says the jury was split 10-2 early this week in favor of acquittal for Officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was charged in the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile.

Ploussard says jurors spent a lot of time dissecting the “culpable negligence” requirement for conviction. He says the last two holdouts eventually agreed on acquittal.

Ploussard wouldn’t identify the two holdouts, but says they were not the jury’s only two black members.

Ploussard declined to say whether he thought Yanez acted appropriately. He says the jury sympathizes with the Castile family.

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3:30 p.m.

The mother of a Minnesota motorist who was shot dead by a police officer last July says the officer got away with “murder.”

Valerie Castile spoke angrily after a jury acquitted Officer Jeronimo Yanez of manslaughter in the death of her son Philando. He was shot five times seconds after he informed Yanez during a traffic stop that he was carrying a gun.

Yanez testified that Castile ignored his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life.

Valerie Castile called her son’s death murder. She pointed out her son was wearing a seatbelt and had his girlfriend and her daughter in the car. She says she’s “very disappointed in the system here in the state of Minnesota.”

The jury deliberated five days before reaching its verdict.

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3:20 p.m.

An attorney for the Minnesota police officer acquitted of manslaughter in the shooting death of a black motorist says the defense team is satisfied with the verdict.

Tom Kelly was among attorneys representing Officer Jeronimo Yanez. A jury in St. Paul cleared Yanez of all charges in the death last July of 32-year-old Philando Castile.

Kelly says the team was confident in their case and in Yanez, and felt his conduct was justified. He says that “doesn’t take away from the tragedy of the event.”

Yanez shot Castile five times during a traffic stop last July in a St. Paul suburb, seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun.

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3:05 p.m.

Family members of a black motorist shot dead by a Minnesota police officer last year reacted angrily to the officer being found innocent of manslaughter.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez was cleared of that charge and two lesser ones Friday in the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile. Yanez shot Castile five times during a traffic stop last July in a St. Paul suburb, seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun.

Castile’s mother, Valerie, stood and swore when the jury’s verdict was read in St. Paul. His sister and others sobbed loudly. Family members immediately tried to leave the courtroom, and did so after security officers briefly barred their way.

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3 p.m.

A Minnesota police officer has been acquitted of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a black motorist.

Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez was also cleared Friday of two lesser charges in the July traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb. Yanez shot Philando Castile five times just seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun.

Yanez testified that Castile was pulling his gun out of his pocket despite his commands not to do so. The defense also argued Castile was high on marijuana and said that affected his actions.

Castile had a permit for the weapon. Prosecutors questioned whether Yanez ever saw the gun. They argued that the officer overreacted and that Castile was not a threat.

The case garnered immediate attention because Castile’s girlfriend streamed the aftermath live on Facebook.

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2:15 p.m.

A Minnesota jury has reached a verdict in the trial of a police officer charged with manslaughter in the death of a black motorist.

Ramsey County court officials say the verdict will be read around 2:45 p.m. Central time.

Officer Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez is charged in the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile.

Yanez pulled Castile over for a broken taillight July 6 in a St. Paul suburb. He shot Castile seconds later, after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun.

The shooting drew widespread attention and condemnation in part because Castile’s girlfriend streamed the gruesome aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook.

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1:35 p.m.

Defense attorneys for a Minnesota police officer charged with manslaughter in the death of a black motorist say the jury won’t deliberate over the weekend if they can’t reach a verdict Friday.

Officer Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez is charged in the July 6 death of Philando Castile. The 32-year-old school cafeteria worker was shot seconds after he informed Yanez he was carrying a gun.

Attorney Earl Gray told reporters after meeting with the judge Friday afternoon that the jury would be discharged until Monday if they don’t agree by day’s end.

Yanez testified that Castile disregarded his orders not to pull out his gun. Prosecutors say the 29-year-old Latino officer overreacted.

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10 a.m.

Jurors considering the fate of a Minnesota police officer who killed a black motorist opened their fifth day of deliberations by asking to have the officer’s entire testimony re-read to them.

Judge William Leary told jurors Friday that he was denying the request. He said the reasons were unimportant, and he sent them back to work.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez is charged with manslaughter in the death of Philando Castile. Yanez shot Castile during a traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb after Castile informed the officer he was carrying a gun. Castile had a permit for the firearm.

Yanez has testified that Castile ignored his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life. Prosecutors argue he overreacted to a man who wasn’t a threat.

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12:05 a.m.

Jurors weighing the fate of a Minnesota police officer who killed a black motorist last July are headed into their fifth day of deliberations.

Officer Jeronimo (yeh-RON’-ih-moh) Yanez is charged with manslaughter in the death of Philando Castile. Yanez shot Castile during a traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb after Castile informed the officer he was carrying a gun. Castile had a permit for the firearm.

Deliberations resume Friday morning.

On Wednesday, the apparently deadlocked jury was summoned to court by the judge and told to keep deliberating. Thursday’s deliberations passed quietly.

Yanez testified Castile was pulling the gun out against his instructions and he feared for his life. Prosecutors insist Yanez never saw a gun and had plenty of options short of shooting Castile.